LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The Trump administration plans to release new dietary guidelines in the next few weeks. Health Secretary RFK Jr. has promised the days of skim milk and other low-fat dairy products are over.

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ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: There’s been a – there’s been an attack on whole milk and cheese and yogurt over the past couple of decades.

FADEL: That’s Kennedy speaking at an event with the dairy industry over the summer. NPR’s Will Stone reports on the case for more fat in our dairy.

WILL STONE, BYLINE: The U.S. dietary guidelines have long encouraged fat-free or low-fat dairy, the rationale being that full-fat dairy can be a significant source of saturated fat, which in turn raises cholesterol. But Richard Bruno says the thinking in his field has evolved with more studies. Bruno is a professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University.

RICHARD BRUNO: The saturated fat from dairy foods doesn’t seem to be behaving the way we think it should behave, based on that historical evidence that saturated fat is linked to heart disease.

STONE: Meaning how you get that saturated fat matters. Research suggests the dairy fat matrix has different effects on your health compared to the same amount of fat from meat or other foods.

BRUNO: There seems to be other bioactive components in that matrix that alleviate any putative risk that would be associated with that higher intake of saturated fat.

STONE: Now, dairy is a broad category, so it’s hard to make sweeping statements. For example, if someone eats a diet high in butter – technically dairy – you get the negative consequences on cholesterol. But if you replace butter with cheese, you don’t see that.

BRUNO: Yogurt is different from milk, is different from cheese, making interpretation of research studies very complicated in the absence of controlled trials.

STONE: So after years of controversy, Benoit Lamarche, who studies nutrition at the University of Laval in Quebec, came together with other experts to see whether the recommendations in the U.S. and Canada were justified.

BENOIT LAMARCHE: If we are saying that low fat is better than high fat, we should have studies demonstrating that, you know, black and white.

STONE: He says they concluded the evidence against high-fat dairy is circumstantial. Earlier studies showed people at higher risk of heart disease tended to eat more full-fat dairy, but there were other factors and patterns in their diet that could explain that.

LAMARCHE: With that in mind, where is the comparison, direct comparison between low- and high-fat dairy on health? No evidence. The evidence is showing that they have the same effect, and the evidence is of low quality. And there’s just a few studies that have looked at that.

STONE: There are even some small studies suggesting whole-fat dairy may be more beneficial, particularly when part of a healthy eating pattern. Also, cheese, which is high in fat, is associated with a lower risk of stroke. On whole milk versus skim, Lamarche says the evidence is slim in either direction. Overall, his view is it’s too soon to take a strong stance one way or the other on high-fat versus low-fat dairy.

LAMARCHE: One could argue, well, what’s the harm in promoting low-fat dairy? It’s not going to kill anyone, for sure. My perspective really is diet is so complicated. Let’s focus on the big issues and not distract people with something for which we’re not sure.

STONE: As it stands, most Americans don’t actually eat the recommended amount of dairy. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition at Harvard, says a modest amount of dairy, full or low fat, is fine. What matters most is your diet as a whole.

FRANK HU: If you replace the refined carbohydrates and sugar with dairy products, even some full-fat dairy products, that’s probably a good thing.

STONE: He believes there’s room for all sorts of dairy in a healthy diet.

Will Stone, NPR News.

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